Abstract

Design and Fabrication of Modified Single Slope Solar Still with Solar Pond

Author(s): S. Joe Patrick Gnanaraj* and S. Ramachandran

A single basin solar still with the area of 90 cm x 70 cm and slope 110 was fabricated and tested at (11.9310° N, 79.7852° E) Villianur, Pondicherry, India. The inner surface was coated with black paint, fins were added to the basin and reflecting mirror was placed at the bottom surface in order to increase the heat transfer rate. A solar pond was also fabricated with top surface area 90 cm x 90 cm and bottom surface area 30 cm x 30 cm and fitted with fins at the bottom and reflecting mirror at the top to store more heat inside the solar pond. The Pond was divided into three zones upper converting zone (UCZ), middle converting zone (MCZ) and lower converting zone (LCZ) based on heat transfer rate. Experimental investigation was done on January, February and March of 2016. The readings were taken for 8 hours on each day. During daytime the high radiation strike on lower converting zone of solar still to produce the maximum output. An experiment was conducted on single basin solar still coupled with pond and the results are reported in this paper.